Mounting means for pump impellers and the like



June 26, 1945. c. D. BowER MOUNTING MEANS FOR PUMP IMPELLERS AND THELIKE Filed Au 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Slieet 1 W i l I 1 70 I EJ.

I l i I 27 35 v I J Z9] 28 |H I ll //4 I fzo Z9] 5 23 2b 5| II INVENTOR.

' I (DIRK DBowER. 1 3 BY 2* June 26, 1945. c BQWER 2,378,974

MOUNTING MEANS FOR PUMP IMPELLERS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 1, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 2 i .2; 11g ,0 t

37 I 29 A A J a 5' W 7/ 4 54- 3o 3 2 INVENTOR. CLARK 11B owza BY vPatented June 26, 1945 MOUNTING MEANS FOR PUMP IMPELLERS AND THE LIKEClark D. Bower, Pomona, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, toFairbanks, Morse & Co., a corporation of Illinois Application August 1,1944, Serial No. 547,616

6 Claims.

.My present invention relates to a shaft and hub mounting means forrotary elements, and

more particularly toan improved means for ad- Justably and firmlysecuring the impeller of a' centrifugal type pump upon a driving shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical andeffective means for securing a hub supported element of a rotary machineupon a driving shaft. l

Another object of the invention is to provide an improvement in themanner of adjustably mounting the rotary impellers of a centrifugal typepump in an operative position upon a driving shaft.

Another object of the invention is to provide a positively acting meansfor adjusting and positioning a number of impellers or propellers of acentrifugal pump upon a driving shaft in such a manner that theimpellers may be spaced in proper clearance relation With adjacentcooperating parts when in operation. I

It has heretofore been common practice in the construction ofcentrifugal pumps, and more especially in the vertical turbine andimpeller types having multiple stages, to fasten or position each of theimpellers by means of a split bushing that is adapted to receive a nutwhich serves to move the impeller along the outside tapered surface ofthe bushing to-thereby tighten thebushing upon the shaft and grip theshaft and thus produce a frictional driving connection between theshaftv the bushing and the impeller. With this prior arrangement it willbe obvious that the amount of torque that can be transmitted from theshaft to the impeller will be dependent not only upon the amount ofcontact between the parts, but

art, and in part pointed out hereinafter in the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompaying drawings, wherein there isshown by way of illustration and not of limitation preferred embodimentsthereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view showing th invention as applied tothe shaft and impellers of a multiple stage impeller-type pump,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the details of theinvention as illustrated in Figure 1, and v Figures 3 and 4 arefragmentary plan views of the device, looking down along line A-A ofFigure 2, and respectively showing the device as provided for operationby an open-end or spanner type wrench.

In the drawing the invention is shown, for the purpose of illustration,as applied t a mul tiple stage submersible pump of the type employing aplurality of impellers that are adapted to be rotated at high speedwithin a suitable fluid directing housing. As shown in Figur 1, such apump in the main comprises a driving shaft l0 that is adapted to bedriven by a motor (not shown) which is generally located at the top oralso upon the character of the contact surfaces between the severalparts. In most pumps of this type it is also important that the axialposition of the impeller upon its driving shaft be rigidly maintainedwith reference to the flu d directing shroud or bowl with which theimpeller is associated. For example, in centrifugal pumps of theimpeller typ having impellers of the semi-open type that rotate in closeproximity tov stationary parts, the clearances must necessarily be verysmall. It is, therefore, a further object of my invention to provide amean which will establish a flrm driving connection between the impellerand the shaft and also permit of a close adjustment in the positions ofthe impellers with respect to each other and thus meet the aboverequirements in a novel and efficient manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part evident tothose skilled in the a well or the like. In this instance the shaft Illcarries two impellers l l and II that are secured thereupon inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In thisarrangement the shaft ill will be journaled and supported at its upperend by means of a suitable step bearing that will .prevent any axialmovement thereof and, at the points where the impellers H and 12 aremounted, the shaft III will extend through suitable water lubricated andresilient guide bearings l3, l4 and I! which may be of rubber or othertype of yielding plastic material. The upper one of these guide bearingI3 is carried by an inner portion of a fluid directing bowl or shroud itthat is adapted to be. secured upon the lower end of a discharge pipe I!which leads from the pump. The bowl or shroud I6 is also shown asprovided with a plurality of fluid direct-- ingpchannels or conduits 3through which the fluid may flow upwardly from the impeller ll. At itslower end the fluid directing 'bowl. or shroud It supports a-secondsomewhat similar bow] or shroud IS in which the guide hearin it ismounted. This bowl or shroud I9 is also provided with fluid directingchannels or conduits 20 that serve to direct the fluids discharged bythe impeller l2 toa point below the impeller H. Mounted below andsecured to the bowl or shroud l9 there is an additional fluid directingshroud 2| that carries the impellers l I and I2 are rotated at highspeed, I

they will operate in their respective zones to centrifugally impartmovement to a fluid as it passes through the conduits I8, and 22. Forefficient operation, it will be understood that the position of theimpellers II and I2, with respect to the adjacent lands or channelforming surfaces 24 and 25 of the members l9 and 2!, adjacent which theyoperate, must be closely maintained. Therefore, in a pump of this typeit is desirable to provide a means by which the impellers H and I2 maybe adjusted along the shaft Ill and with respect to the cooperatingstationary parts of the pump housing. At the same time, this means mustoperate to firmly secure the impeller or rotary element against anyradial or axial displacement after these adjustments have been made.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the invention, inits preferred form, contemplates the provision of an undercut portion orgroove 26 upon the shaft III at a point adjacent where an impeller II ori2 is to be mounted. In this arrangement a groove or undercut portion 25provides what may be termed two oppositely arranged and spaced shoulders21 and 28 between which a mutilated nut or split collar 29 may benablemanpositioned in a tight fitting, but ner. Cooperating with themutilate nut or spllt collar 29 the impelleris provided with aninternally threaded and extending hub portion 30 that is adapted tooverlap the mutilated nut or split collar 29 and thus retain it betweenth sp shoulders 21 and 28 formed upon the shaft l0. At its other end theimpeller has a hub portion II that is adaptedyto provide a relativelytight sliding fit upon the shaft lo at one side of the undercut portion26, and cooperating with this portion of the hub, the shaft III ispreferably provided with one or more Woodruff type of key 32 thatengages a keyway 33 formed in the hub portion 3| of the impeller. Withthe impeller mounted in this manner it will be seen that by turning themutilated nut or split collar 29 about the shaft l0, it will bepossible, because of the external threads thereupon and the internalthreads carried by the extending hub portion 30 of the impeller, to movethe impeller axially of the shaft in either direction from any givenpoint after the parts have been assembled as shown, and in this way anydesired clearance may be established between blades 34 f the impellerand the stationary lands or surfa s 24 or 25 of the pump housing. Forthe purpose of securing the impellers against any inadvertent oraccidental ment, it is contemplated that these members may be providedwith hexagonally arranged surfaces 38 and 31, as shown in Figure 3 ofthe drawings, or they may be made of a type as shown at 29' and 35'suitable for turning with a conventional spanner wrench by the provisionof suitable spaced notches 38 and 39 in the outer perimeters thereof, asshown in Figure 4 of the drawmgs.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclosetheinvention so that the same can be readily understood, described andillustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have itunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific meansdisclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggestthemselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that thisinvention is new and it is desired to claim it so that all such changesas come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered aspart of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desired to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. Ina shaft and hub securing means of the character described, thecombination of a shaft having spaced shoulders formed thereupon, a splitexternally threaded collar disposed between the shoulders upon saidshaft,' a hub carrying member having an internally threaded portion atone end adapted to extend over said split collar and another portionadapted to slidably engage said shaft, a keying means between the latterportion of said hub carrying member and said shaft, and means carriedbysaid split collar and engagin the end of said hub carrying member forlocking'said parts in an operative position.

2. In-a shaft and hub securing means of the character described, thecombination of a shaft having spaced shoulders formed thereupon, aplurality of externally threaded collar forming membersdisposed aroundsaid shaft between said shoulders, a hub carrying member having aninternally threaded portion at one end adapted to extend over saidplurality of externally threaded collar forming members and anotherportion slidably engaging said shaft, a keying meansbetween the latterportion of said hub carrying member and said shaft, whereby said hubcarrying .member may be adjusted axially along the shaft by a turning ofsaid plurality of externally threaded collar forming members about theshaft.

' member having an internally threaded portion displacement along theshaft III, the invention j at one end adapted to extend over saidexternally threaded split collar and'another portion slidably engagingsaid shaft, a keyin'g means between said latter portion and said shaft,whereby said hub carrying member may be adjusted axially along the shaftby a turning of saidsplit collar within the internally threaded andextending end of said hub carrying member, and means carried by saidsplit collar and engaging the end of said hub carrying member forlocking said parts in a fixed position. 1

'4. In an impeller supporting shaft, the combination of a driving shafthaving a groove formed thereabout at a point corresponding to thelocation of an impeller to be mounted thereupon, an externally threadedsplit nut disposed in the groove of said shaft, an impeller slidablymounted upon said shaft and having an internally threaded overhangingportion into which said. split nut may turn, a keying means between saidshaft and said im ller, whereby said impeller may be adjusted axiallyalong'the shaft with respect to-said groove by a turning of saidexternally threaded nut about the shaft, and means for securing saidsplit nut against turning in the overhanging portion of said impeller.

5. In a shaft and hub securing means of the character described, thecombination of a shaft having a shoulder extending therearound, a splitexternally threaded collar disposed upon said shaft in cooperatingrelation with said shoulder,

a hub carrying member having an internally threaded portion at one endadapted to extend over saidexternally threaded split collar and anotherportion adapted to slidably engage said shaft, a keying means betweenthe latter portion of said hub carrying member and said shaft, allwhereby said hub carrying member may be ad- J'usted axially along saidshaft by a turning of said-split collar within the internally threaded6. In a shaft and hub securing means of the character described, thecombination of a shaft having a fixed shoulder forming means extendingportion of said hub carrying member, and means for finally securing saidsplit externally threaded collaragainst any turning within theinternally threaded portion of said hub carrying member.

therearound, a split externally threaded collar disposed upon said shaftin cooperating relation with said shoulder forming means, a hub carryingmember having an internally threaded portion at one end adapted toextend over said externally threaded split collar and another portionadapted

